The report analyzed mobile app usage of U.S. consumers between May 2016 and May 2017, based on Verto Analytics’ consumer-centric audience measurement methodology, ranking the most popular AI-powered apps used on smartphones including Amazon’s Alexa, Siri and Google-owned properties. Verto Analytics found that usage of personal assistants apps – apps which use artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning and cloud-based natural language processes to accomplish everyday tasks, such as messaging, navigation, accessing entertainment content or searching information – has shown spotty growth and even some decline among consumers. While some personal assistant apps have seen some major user growth, in general, this sector has experienced stagnation and even a decrease in users among certain apps like Siri. In its analysis of the actual usage of personal assistants apps on mobile devices, Verto Analytics discovered the following consumer behavior trends:

Phone-based personal assistant apps, such as Siri and S-Voice, are slowly falling in popularity, with one exception: navigation and maps.

Usage of personal assistant apps peaks at 10am, 1pm, and experiences a steady climb from 2pm-7pm, before dropping off in the evening. Personal assistant apps are often used before or after Google Maps – and people generically are using personal assistant apps when they are moving from place to another, and when they are commuting

The personal assistant ‘super user’—someone who spend more than twice as much time on this category of apps as the average consumer—is a 52-year old female who spends 1.5 hours per month on personal assistant apps. The personal assistant apps users base skews towards older women, which is a demographic population that traditionally falls outside of the expected early adopter user base.

While 44 percent of smartphones had a personal assistant app that was used at least once in May 2017, users spend only 12 minutes per month on these kinds of apps.

“Despite all the hype, AI-driven personal assistant apps have yet to gain a sturdy foothold among consumers,” said Hannu Verkasalo, CEO of Verto Analytics. “AI-driven apps and services are still very much in their early days. As this market grows and we examine consumer adoption of these apps, it will be important for brands and publishers to understand how and when consumers are using them, and with what other apps and services.”

The report also goes beyond user numbers with “day in the life” data, which illustrates the actual usage of the personal assistant apps during the course of the day. Verto also conducted a funnel analysis of consumer activity to identify which apps consumers use before and after personal assistant apps, in understanding the overall context of usage.

Other findings from the report include:

While Siri is still the top-ranking personal assistant app based on number of unique monthly users, between May 2016 and May 2017 Siri’s active user base declined with 7.3 million monthly users (nearly 15 percent of its total) – at the same time Android mobile devices have gained popularity

User engagement with Siri has also dropped significantly over the same time period: the app’s “Stickiness Index” (a metric that quantifies engagement by comparing daily users to monthly users) dropped by nearly half – from 21 percent to 11 percent.

Amazon’s Alexa has seen a 325 percent increase in monthly unique users (from 0.8 million to 2.8 million) during the past year, and has more than doubled its stickiness rating, from 10 percent to 22 percent.

Microsoft’s Cortana has also seen a significant jump in monthly unique user numbers, from 0.2 million to 0.7 million (a 350 percent increase), with stickiness ratings tripling from 19 percent to 60 percent.

Verto’s single-source measurement methodology is based on behavioral data gathered from a panel of opt-in consumers that own and use multiple devices. Verto measures from the point of consumer interaction across all platforms, media, content and devices.

Verto Analytics provides a consumer-centric audience measurement solution for monitoring the complex behavior of today’s consumer on every device, app and platform used throughout the day. Verto provides data and insights to inform marketing, competitive intelligence, media buying, and product strategy and development. Read our blog, follow us on Twitter, or learn more at https://www.vertoanalytics.com.

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